The Japanese Grand Prix is the third race of the year, and so far, this season promises to be exciting and enjoyable. After the opening pair of races, McLaren leads the way, with Mercedes keeping some sort of a tempo with the British team. All the others are behind, including Red Bull, Williams, and Ferrari, which had plenty of problems.
F1 odds favor McLaren and its drivers, but we can’t underestimate the fact that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have their aspirations here. Check out to see our Japanese Grand Prix 1 preview and predictions.
Preview
The first official practice showed McLaren’s dominance. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri set the best results, and they dominated the track. Overall, this was another confirmation of what we already knew, which is that the British team prepared their vehicle the best for the start of the season.
Most red flags in an F1 race: 3 🚩
Red flags in FP2 in Japan: 4 🚩 pic.twitter.com/NjfcBwq1H3— Autosport (@autosport) April 4, 2025
After the two was Isack Hadjar, whose Racing Bulls bowled fantastically. He was the biggest surprise of the entire practice. He retired in the opening race in Australia and then finished 11th in China. This was probably a spark for the young Frenchman who didn’t have such success in the past.
Both Ferraris spent the most laps on the track. Hamilton and Leclerc drove 14 laps each, which is a sign that Prancing Horse wants as much time as possible to make adjustments and align its performances. Overall, Ferrari didn’t show anything notable during the preseason or the first two races, and this should sound the alarm in Italy. Why? Because if they again start slow their season will be ruined halfway through the campaign. Which was frequent in the past.
Verstappen has been near the top this year but has failed to accomplish big things. However, we need to say that the champ might be still adjusting to the new circumstances, and this race might tell us a lot about him and Red Bull in general. Don’t forget that Max has three wins in a row at this circuit and that he knows every inch of the same.
Japanese F1 Grand Prix History
As stated, Verstappen won the past three Japanese Grand Prix races, but he isn’t the best ever, nor among active drivers as well.
Michael Schumacher is the No.1, with the German having six wins here. The new Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamilton, is second with five wins, while the former Ferrari and Red Bull star Sebastian Vettel earned four top-place finishes. We need to mention Fernando Alonso as well, who had wins here in 2006 and 2008.
When looking at constructors, McLaren has 9 wins and is the most successful among teams. Ferrari has 7 the same as Red Bull, while the Mercedes has one win fewer.
Japanese F1 Grand Prix Predictions
We strongly believe that Suzuka is going to see McLaren’s brutal domination. They are one class above any other rivals right now, and if everything goes well, both Norris and Piastri should end up on the podium. McLaren is faster than others, and more importantly, their vehicle has the needed consistency to keep pushing at the same pace throughout the entire race. Additionally, the chemistry between the drivers seems, and we say, seems, for the moment, to be very good. It’s still early into the season, and that might change, but on the other side, that suits us and our prediction.
- Pick: Piastri and Norris to finish on the podium
Here are the F1 odds all at one place.
